Identity (Nebulous)
by Nebula the Starwing
Summary: Stardust stays with his Aunt Glory in the Jungle! Visiting the nearby Nightwing Village, he and Peacemaker discover some revelations about themselves. Meanwhile, in the far reaches of the galaxy, a new journey begins.


_**Identity - Nebulous**_

 **-X-**

"Banana! I see you on the pavilion!"

Stardust pointed a claw directly to where Banana lay camouflaged. She immediately decloaked and reared her head around. "Dude, how? I was perfectly cloaked!"

Stardust, immediately turning to his right, then pointed to a tree trunk. "And Heliconia! You're wrapped around that tree branch next to Tualang!"

Both promptly decloaked and gawked in amazement. Tualang bristled to himself. "Stardust, I don't know how you do it!"

Stardust smiled and prided himself, whilst Jambu shouted from off to the side somewhere. "Betcha can't find ME!"

Stardust, without even looking behind him, kept his gaze to Tualang's direction. "Palm tree, right on top!"

All that was heard next was:

"HOW?!"

followed by a soft:

POOMF!

as he flopped to the ground. The rest simply fell over laughing, while Jambu, ruffled scales and leaves stuck on his head, came around and gawked at Stardust.

"Okay, seriously… How?!"

Stardust, looking for his words, simply shrugged. "Well… I can't really distinguish you guys from your surroundings, but it's more like a soft glow that you have. Fooorr instancee..." He looked around for another example, and happened to stare directly in front of him.

"For instance! Where's Queen Glory?"

A few heads peeked around, but no one could find her. Stardust, smiling to himself motioned to the flower fields in front of them.

"I couldn't see her at first either, but each dragon has their own sort of light. I see it regardless of how you're disguised! After I find that, their silhouette just kind of… Is more visible after that."

Stardust taps a blade of grass in front of him, only revealed to be one of the horns on Queen Glory's snout. Upon tapping it, her snout uncamouflaged as with the rest of her body to everyone's absolute astonishment.

Glory lifted her head with a thoughtful and impressed look, nosing Stardust's snout. "Very good, and interesting. I suppose we can't hide from you anymore can we?"

Stardust, rather sarcastically, nosed her back. "Yeap. And if you want to post someone to watch me sleep you should've told me first.~"

He then turns to Heliconia. "No offense to you Heliconia, your camouflage skills are impeccable." Heliconia shyly turned a soft pinkish/green. Glory put a talon to her temples and sighed.

"Should've known you'd figure out. I only do it for your protection you know…"

Stardust shrugs and nuzzles up to Glory. "It's okay, I understand. And uhm…" Stardust, still slightly blushy, looks up at her aunt. "Is it alright if I slept with you? I still don't like sleeping alone…"

Glory honestly didn't mind at all. From the first time Stardust visited when he was just learning to speak, he's always loved the rainforest and the Rainwings' colorful scales. It made him feel at home and loved. He took even more to Glory because of it.

The only thing that made it slightly awkward was the fact Stardust was getting pretty close to how big Glory was. Glory knew he wasn't mentally as mature as she was but bodily it just seemed odd. She wanted to make her nephew feel safe and sound, so she nodded and smiled.

"Sure, plenty of room for both of us. Just make sure Uncle Deathbringer knows, alright?"

Even though Glory and Deathbringer weren't even together like that at all, Deathbringer staunchly asserted himself as the big strong uncle. Regardless, the three never really questioned it. Stardust beamed a grin and nosed Glory's snout back.

"Okay! Thank you Aunt Glory!"

Stardust motioned to everyone else and thanked them all for the game of hide and seek. Making his way through the jungle he padded through the worn paths to the Nightwing Village.

Since the passing of Darkstalker, the village had grown quite a bit! Buildings of sturdier materials like stone and brick built by Mightyclaws and his team of builders, helped to set a sturdy base for lighter materials like bamboo and woven wicker, housing families and creating places of commerce such as markets. Over all, the village housed a good 140 Nightwings, each one seeming happy and with purpose.

Stardust connected with the Nightwings more than any other tribe, mostly because of their history and their plight; the fact they grew to cultivate powers also held great interest for him. Having been through their village a good dozen times or so he knew almost everyone.

"Hey Stardust!"

"Yo Stardust, long time no see!"

"Good afternoon young one, good to see you."

"STARFRUIT, GETCHA STARFRUIT"

(That last guy did know him but was too busy selling produce.)

Having seen everyone there, he made his way to a particular house that sat slightly secluded from the rest. He made his way in, where a motherly figure sat chopping up some strawberries. Stardust cleared his throat.

"Hope!"

Hope, turning around, phased from a look of confusion, to one of happiness and relief.

"Well, if it isn't Stardust!" Hope grabbed up the smaller dragon into a nice motherly hug, one the rainbow colored dragonet always enjoyed thoroughly.

Hope, upon first meeting him, immediately took to Stardust as a mother takes to her child. Perhaps it was his similarity to Peacemaker, but something just clicked between the two. Regardless, Stardust automatically accepted Hope as another one of his many moms all over Pyrrhia.

Stardust gave Hope a small peck on the cheek. "How you doing? Is that strawberry pie?~"

She smiled in that affectionate and loving way moms do, and nodded along. "Mhmmm, Peacemaker just got me all the fruit I needed, I was going to roast it before I served it."

She motioned outside. "Speaking of which he's outside in his favorite mud pile." Her intonation at "Mud Pile" wasn't particularly enthused. "Gonna have to bathe him again… could you go tell him pie is almost ready please?"

Stardust jumped up. "On it!" He literally jumped out the open window, on his way to find the only other black and rainbow dragon in Pyrrhia.

 **-X-**

Peacemaker was easy enough to find, just follow the sound of mud sloshing and jovial delight. Stardust found him covered head to toe in surprisingly non smelly mud. Upon the two seeing each other, they locked eyes.

"..."

"..."

Peacemaker made the first move and pounced on Stardust, getting him enveloped in a huge muddy mess.

"STAR!"

The two dragons were very similar visually, both mostly black but with stripes and scales of every sort of color. Stardust was a bit bigger than his look a like, a small size difference between the two with Peacemaker being just a bit shorter with a shorter neck. The two tussled around with and giggled, both of them laughing like giddy dragonets do. Upon stopping, they hugged it out for a rather long time.

Stardust didn't mind though. "I missed ya little brother.~"

Peacemaker giggled as his tail wriggled around in the mud gleefully. "Hehe, missed you too.~"

The two rolled around in mud and chilled there for a good 15 minutes before Stardust changed the subject from their communal love of strawberries.

"Hey Peace?"

Peacemaker twisted to look at his brother/friend. "Yeah?"

Both Stardust and Peacemaker laid on their backs, looking up at the trees.

"What's it like being… y'know…" He turned to look at Peacemaker. "...different?"

Peacemaker seemed puzzled. "How am I different? I'm a Nightwing just like my mama, and the only difference is I have color scales!" Having said that out loud he seemed to catch on.

"Oooh… you mean my color scales?"

Stardust nodded with a half smile. Peacemaker, being the clueless yet optimistic kid he was, shrugged and wriggled around some more.

"No one treats me any different, I know my mama loves me and I know you're my best friend, and to me that's all that matters!" With added resolve he covered himself with a blanket of mud again.

Stardust wasn't satisfied yet. "But… do you ever feel like you don't belong? Like… you're meant for something else?"

Peacemaker closed his eyes and shook his head vigorously. "Mm-mm. I love being here. Lots of mud and strawberries and trees! And I love my tribe too! They're so cool!" With a sudden tinge of concern, Peacemaker turned to Stardust again.

"Do you feel like you don't belong, Star?"

Unsure how to answer that, Stardust looked up into the trees aimlessly. Often he found looking up at the sky calmed him, his gaze lost to the abyss above. He imagined someday he could fly high enough to stay up there forever, a thought that calmed his sometimes worried and anxious head.

"...I don't know… sometimes I feel like even though I have so much family here I was meant to be somewhere else… Like a part of me is out there somewhere."

Peacemaker thought to himself, not totally understanding what Stardust was talking about but having a general idea. He sidled up to his non-familial brother and nosed his cheek.

"Well if it makes you happier, I feel like you belong here." He wrapped his wings around Stardust. "I hope you can always be my big brother!"

Stardust felt a grin domineer his snout as he nosed his brother back.

"Thanks Peace, me too.~"

The two snuggled together with mud all over them, briefly touching heads.

However… in that instant, both rainbow spackled dragons felt a force prod their minds; a connection from the contact, something unlocking in Peacemaker's mind. Something that resonated within Stardust's mental powers but echoed to Peacemaker's as well. From the brief contact, a jumble of images and experiences exploded, each indistinct as they flooded through. Millions of conversations and general ideas as well, but one word overcame it all and tied everything together.

" ** _Darkstalker_** "

Upon pulling back, both dragons seemed confused and worried. Peacemaker seemed more concerned than anything, while Stardust only worried about what he did.

"What… what did I do?"

Peacemaker sat up slowly. "I dunno…" Looking to his brother, something clicked inside him that he didn't know was there. Stardust knew Peacemaker needed to know what it meant, and in all honesty so did he. His younger brother sat close to him, staring at him with what could only be described as a look of resolve.

"...But… can you do it again…?"

Stardust shook his head. "I don't think it's a good idea Peace… I mean I don't know what just happened and..."

Before he had a chance to say anything else, Peacemaker locked eyes with his brother again, this time making sure that he saw the desperate look in his gaze.

"Please… There's something in my head I couldn't push through, but you somehow touched it… made it go away. It made my mind clear for the first time in my life! Please Star… I need to try this again."

How could Stardust say no? He sighed hesitantly, and nodded. The two gently pressed foreheads to each other again, and the same connection swept through their consciousness again.

Through the swirling, almost cleansing power that swept around both their minds, a more powerful and concentrated stream of steady thoughts and memories blasted the two dragon's consciousness. A few glimpses and words stuck out and painted a summary, coloring the pieces to create just enough of the picture.

" _Three moons…"_

" _Clearsight!"_

" _Animus magic?"_

" _Stop reading my mind!"_

" _It's too dangerous-"_

" _Darkstalker how could you?!"_

" _Show them what you are inside."_

" _FATHOM!"_

" _So dark…"_

" _Moonwatcher."_

" _Let me guide you!"_

" _Anemone…"_

" _You must be Moonwatcher."_

" _I'm not your enemy."_

" _KING DARKSTALKER!"_

" _Time to make them pay."_

" _Qibli, you're making a mistake."_

" _Foeslayer…?"_

" _HOW DARE YOU-"_

" _...Peacemaker."_

As these memories all intertwined together, the last word forced them apart again.

"... _ **Hope**_ _._ "

Breaking the connection, the two fell backwards panting with expressions of astonished panic, slowly fading into confusion and more realized worry. Stardust was more concerned about Peacemaker who seemed almost as if he was about to cry.

"Peace? You alright bro?" Stardust approached his brother who cradled his head in his paws. Peacemaker shook his head, hyperventilating as he hugged Stardust tight.

"I'm… I don't know… I remember all these things that never happened but… I think they did when I was someone else and…" Peacemaker heaved a sob and squeezed his brother tight. "Wha… What's happening to me?! I feel like my brain is splitting apart! Star I'm scared…" Gazing up with iridescent tears streaming down, he let out a hiccup/sob of a terrified little boy. "Star, who… Who am I…?"

Stardust, now having the full realization of who/what his brother Peacemaker is, held him tight and wiped his eyes for him. Pressing their two snouts together he spoke a bit more forcefully but with his usual tinge of compassion.

"Hey! Listen to me Peace, just… Listen. You're gonna be okay, I promise." He wrapped his arms and wings around his brother comfortingly.

Peacemaker just looked down, his voice low. "Who… Who am I Star…?"

Stardust nosed his head. "You're Peacemaker. I… Don't know who this Darkstalker guy is but you're _not_ him. You're not what those memories are that we saw, that's NOT you."

As Stardust tried calming him down, Peacemaker uncharacteristically broke free and took a hostile stance.

"HOW DO _YOU_ KNOW?! YOU DON'T HAVE MEMORIES THAT OVERRIDE EVERYTHING ELSE AND MAKE YOU QUESTION WHO YOU ARE!" He whirled around in anger, for the first time in his life, anger bubbled up in his chest.

"I just learned that I was transformed from an _EGOTISTICAL MANIAC_ WHO KILLED HUNDREDS OF DRAGONS! REGARDLESS OF WHO I AM NOW I HAVE THOSE MEMORIES AGAIN AND IT TORTURES ME!" Peacemaker punched a tree with his wings, embedding the claws at the end in its bark. "YOU _KNOW_ WHO YOU ARE, I DON'T KNOW WHO I AM ANYMORE AND… I DON'T KNOW, AND… And…"

He turned back to Stardust slowly. Seeing his brother retreated back with an expression of subtle fear and worry as he crouched low… It flashed several different memories of his past self; none of which made him feel good, all of which forced him to see who was currently emulating. Solemnly, he pulled his wing out of the tree and sat down in shame.

"I'm… I'm sorry Star… I…" Peacemaker heaved another quiet sob, and wiped his snout. "I'm just so… Lost…"

Peacemaker soon after felt a pair of arms thrust around him, enveloping him in a tight hug. "I'm here little brother… I'm here. It'll be okay…"

Peacemaker just sighed a whimper and met Stardust's eyes, a plea for help resonating within them.

"...how?" He hung his head low again and fumbled for words. "It's… it's like someone else's thoughts are in my mind, and they won't go away. I can't stop thinking about them…" Peacemaker glanced back up to his brother. "How can I stop it?"

Stardust did not have a good answer. He sighed and thought to himself as to what he could do, but nothing useful came to mind. Peacemaker however, had an idea.

"...can we touch heads again?"

NOW Stardust had a good answer. He nodded and gently pressed their heads together again.

As Stardust connected with his mind, he couldn't feel any sort of peace in in there, every memory that lay in his head flew about everywhere and whipped about like a twister of raw emotion. All through Peacemaker's head were scattered memories, mixed in were those of Darkstalkers and his own. Strangely enough, it felt as though Stardust was searching through Peacemaker's mind physically; as if he could rummage through it, as if it were a chest of objects he could interact with, none of which offered a helpful solution though.

'How do I help… How can I reassure him of who he is…?'

Those last words resonated with him: "Who he is". An idea popped in his head again.

'AHA!'

Gathering together all his strength, he pulled together all the memories of Peacemaker's life after his transformation. Flashes of experiences and memories swirled together again, this time shorter but all coming together to form a positive flashback.

" _Mama!"_

" _Someday little one, you'll fly too."_

" _Aawe, but mama I love mud!"_

" _Your scales are nothing to be ashamed off, I promise.~"_

" _Strawberries!"_

" _Hi Kinkajou, Hi Moon!"_

" _Stars are so pretty…!"_

" _Nice to meet you Stardust!"_

And finally, one last word reigned supreme in Peacemaker's mind, in the form of himself as a one year old again, learning to say his own name:

" _ **Pe... Peacemaker!"**_

The two pulled away from each other's consciousness, feeling a calm tranquility befall them both. Peacemaker's head settled down, and he took calm deep breathes compared to his ragged puffs; his heart slowed from it's pounding thump and settled back to a calming rhythm. Stardust immediately noticed Peacemaker's usual self return.

He approached slowly. "Hey, you feeling better?"

Peacemaker lifted his head with a soft spoken smile. Stardust prodded further. "Thinking clearer too?" With a soft childlike giggle, Peacemaker nodded and nosed up to his big brother's shoulder. The two again shared a soft hug of comfort, with a warm feeling of brotherly affection washing over them.

The warmth didn't last too long however. Soon Peacemaker pulled away with the same expression of uncertainty on his snout. Stardust stepped forwards.

"Hey… what's going on?"

Peacemaker, talons buried in mud, peered down and shook his head.

"I… I still feel lost… All of a sudden it feels like my life is a lie, like I'm not meant to be here." Peacemaker flopped back into the mud again, too distraught to enjoy his mud bath anymore. Stardust laid besides him, sighing in unison.

"I know exactly what that feels like…"

Peacemaker nosed Stardust for comfort, Stardust reciprocating in kind. Laying together and staring up for a good long minute, the two shot up after hearing their names called from afar.

" _Peacemaker, Stardust! Pie's ready!_ "

Stardust excitedly jumped up and pounced after the Hope's voice, braking on his heels after seeing Peacemaker barely up and around. He padded back to nose his brother.

"Hey… you gonna be okay?"

Peacemaker shrugged and gave a willing smile, pepping himself back up. "Let's wait to tell mom about this… please?"

The two nodded, and bounded into the village, tracking mud everywhere they went.

 **-X-**

Glory, Deathbringer and Stardust settled into their royal treetop hut they used when Stardust visited. Deathbringer surrounded the two, Glory's wings wrapped around Stardust. Deathbringer was out cold, Glory and Stardust woken by his snoring every so often. A knock at the bamboo doorpost brought their two heads up again, Deathbringer… unsurprisingly still sleeping like a rock.

The two stood up, putting the leaves aside to see one, weepy eyed, lonely looking Peacemaker at the doorway. Glory seemed surprised, Stardust just seemed saddened.

Peacemaker sniffled and glanced up at them. "Can… Can I sleep with Stardust?"

Glory, wordless, just looked to her nephew. Stardust nosed his aunt and looked up. "Can I talk to Peacemaker alone for a little?"

Endlessly confused but trusting in the two, she nodded. "Just don't stay up too late… you can both sleep with me and Deathbringer if you wish." She headed back inside, while the two hugged it out. Walking for a bit, they parked themselves in front of a decently sized waterfall a ways away from Glory's Pavilion. The crash of the water and flow of the stream provided white noise to drown out any listeners and provided a sense of calm; something Peacemaker desperately needed.

"It just continues to haunt me…" Peacemaker rubbed his temples and groaned to himself. "I had a dream where I…" A lump formed in his throat, which he swallowed and pushed through. "...where I was killing Arctic over and over… just like that memory that won't leave me alone…"

Looking to the waterfall his voice trailed off in the sense he was now talking to himself.

"...how could I do that to someone…?"

Stardust brought Peacemaker's snout to his, bringing him back to reality. "YOU didn't do that! That wasn't you, that wasn't Peacemaker, dang it! YOU would never do that, I know it for a fact." Being aggressive wasn't something Stardust did often, or prided himself in doing, but he wasn't about to let Peacemaker, the innocent star child he knew and loved like family, believe he was capable of anything Darkstalker did, let alone murdering anyone.

"You are Peacemaker. You are A Peacemaker. And that's what matters now… nothing else."

Peacemaker took his snout away towards the waterfall again.

"Yes, but why? If that's how I turned out before what or who's to say it's going to happen again?" Turning back to Stardust, he remembered what he wanted to tell him.

"AND ALSO, I STILL have my Animus powers!"

Stardust drew back in surprise and confusion. "...you do?"

Peacemaker grabbed a leaf from a nearby plant without pulling it off, speaking directly to it. It was non-fruit bearing, totally ordinary.

"Grow a single, blue strawberry."

Almost instantaneously, a single strawberry shaped fruit sprouted out. Peacemaker picked it out and tossed it to Stardust, who inspected it in astoundment. "Huh…" Upon popping it in his mouth, he turned back to Peacemaker who began pacing.

"What about mind reading and future sight? Any of those?"

Peacemaker shook his head no. "Thankfully no… If I remember correctly that's partially what led Darkstalker to become an egotistical maniac…" He turned around to Stardust again. "And something else I've noticed, I've _NEVER_ used those words before! I didn't even know what egotistical _**MEANT**_ before all this happened! I have all these new words and new information floating in my head and… It's like… I'm… It feels like I've become someone else… I mean I know I'm still _me,_ but I…"

Peacemaker nosed up to his brother and sighed. "I was safe and felt at home before all this… now it feels like I don't have a home, like I don't know who to be…"

Stardust wrapped his brother in another tight hug, arms and wings alike. Peacemaker hugged back, nosing into his brother's neck. Stardust knew the feeling well, not knowing who to be or why, but Peacemaker had one thing he didn't; that being knowledge of where he was from.

The starry dragon nosed his brother's head, the two meeting eyes again. They sat down and looked to the waterfall.

"Peace, I know the feeling… I've never known what it's like to be split like that, but… I'm sorry. I will always be there to help you through, don't you worry about that. But to me, I know who you are and who you're meant to be. It's as clear as day."

Peacemaker, curious and desperate now, glanced to his older brother. "Really? Who am I meant to be Star?"

Stardust let his eyes drift from the waterfall to the skies above. The three moons all were half way full, reflected a soft glow down to the planet.

"You were meant to be a sign of forgiveness to the world. A sign that of all the terrible things that dragons may do, there's always good to be found after. You were born to be a living model of goodness in us all, a sign that second chances can make good dragons out of the bad.." Stardust looked down at the reflection of himself. "I know that seems kinda silly, but… think about it."

He nosed his brother and smiled. "I know you don't feel like yourself and that's okay, I don't blame you… Not knowing who you are can make you believe that you don't belong anywhere, but that's not true. Your identity is in your name, Peace. Your mother had the same idea, she used to be called Foeslayer, but she believed in Hope and she made it her whole life's purpose! And when she had a son to call her own, reborn into something amazing, she put her hope into you…"

Peacemaker's eyes drifted down, mulling over what Stardust told him. "You represent Hope, and you represent her beliefs in a better world… She called you her Peacemaker. And to me… you're the best Peacemaker that this world has ever known."

Stardust leaned over his brother and nudged his head protectively. Peacemaker finally felt a small grin take over his mug, which Stardust noticed with a smile of his own. "You're gonna be okay Peace… you're gonna be better than okay. I know it."

Peace looked back up to Stardust with a teardrop on his silver tear scale, which his older brother soon wiped away. "Thank you big bro…" He smiled shyly like he always did and nosed his brother again.

For a good while longer the two sat together and exchanged ramblings of their feelings, experiences so far and things they want to do in the future, before Stardust yawned.

"Mnnh… I need to sleep Peace. You gonna be okay for the rest of the night?"

Peacemaker nodded and nudged his brother with his wingtip. "Yep, I'll be alright." He almost walked away before he stopped himself, remembering a final question.

"Oh and Star, one more question."

Stardust turned attentively. "Mm?"

Peacemaker seemed a bit worried, hesitating before divulging the question.

"...should I tell my mom?"

An exchange of thoughtful glances crossed their eyes, before Stardust nodded. "Yes. I know she'll understand. Make sure to tell her everything, she'll help you."

Peacemaker nodded back in response, a comforted smile gracing the rainbow Nightwing, and with that the two went back to their respective huts.

Before Stardust stepped into the Rainwing pavilion, he admired the stars and moons again. A gentle yet honestly refreshing tradewind blew threw the area and shivered down his back. Thinking to himself, he glanced down to a nearby pool of water and peering back was his own reflection.

'No destiny but what I choose… If I don't know who I am, I know who I want to be.'

Decidedly, he stepped back into the hut where Glory slept.

' _I know who I want to be_.'

 _ **-Epilogue-**_

" _GENERAL FORNAX_!" Galaxy stamped into the navigation room where Fornax stood at the star charting station. However, Galaxy and his two guards noted something off about him, both his posture and his eyes. Fornax, having descended from the Eridanus bloodline, had streaks of blue and orange trailing down his neck and circling the pupils in his eyes; also because of his heritage he adopted a board-stiff back when sitting up. Now, his eyes reflected every hue of the room around him almost seeming a dull rainbow color, slouched over not in pain but in almost in anger.

The guards immediately tensed up and guarded Galaxy fiercely with their jet black Lightpikes, white energy spiked from the end blades. Galaxy waved them aside and approached Fornax with a passionate rage.

Oddly enough once Galaxy drew close enough, Fornax seemed to snap out of his trance. He drew back dazed and confused.

"M-my liege! I… forgive me, I just-"

Before he could explain himself, Galaxy pinned him to the walls by his chest. The kingly figure pressed his nose to Fornax's snout.

"WHY DID YOU HIDE THE SIGNAL?!"

Fornax shook his head and squinted. "What… what signal?"

Only getting angrier yet, Galaxy quite nearly tossed him across the room. "DON'T play coy with ME, GENERAL. You picked up a strong trace of astral energy from across the galaxy. You KNEW what it could have meant yet you chose to hide it anyways." Fornax leaned against the wall while Galaxy drew closer again.

" _WHY_?!"

Struggling even to look ahead, Fornax rubbed his eyes in irritation while his breath quickened. "My liege I would nev… never hide such a discovery from you…" He tried standing up, but promptly fell back down as if someone pushed him over.

Galaxy let curiosity and worry take place over his anger. "What's going on Fornax, an ailment?"

Meeting eyes with the king's blue and purple gaze, Galaxy found Fornax's iris' shifting colors like nothing he'd ever seen before. "Fornax, what's happening?"

Fornax couldn't even speak anymore, his mind flew far aways. He simply toppled over almost brain dead. Galaxy gestured to him as the guards picked him up.

"Take him to Medbay, post two guards on him and tell me what in the name of the Great World Eater is going on with his eyes!"

The two guards rushed off, while Galaxy attended to the Star Charting station. The file pulled up currently was of a small solar system not yet charted but on the opposite side of the Galaxy. A small system of three planets orbited a perfectly rounded yellow star. The second one resided in the habitable zone, three moons winding around it in a trihelixical orbit. The planet read as it's auto given designation: TS-102.

Galaxy globbed the file holographically into his paw, taking it to the navigational deck with him. Upon entering the open bridge room Galaxy spoke clearly to the skeleton crew in place.

"Who's the Lieutenant in charge at the moment?"

Glancing around, a small yet spritely dragon popped up. "Me sir, Lieutenant Tau, Hydra Constellation." She seemed nervous, but Galaxy put her at ease rather quickly.

"Well… For now it's General Tau. Fornax is out of commission for the moment."

Tau seemed happy, but her expression betrayed a different set of feelings. Nonetheless she reported to her new station. "Y-yes sir."

Galaxy threw the globbed location in his paw to the holographic galaxy. It popped up right away, displaying the information. He turned back to Tau and the rest of the crew.

"As of now we have a new heading. A small system on the outskirts of Section T and S, rather far away."

Tau, recognizing this system immediately stood up and approached the King.

"Sir… is that the system where that strange energy signature came from?"

Galaxy, whirling around suddenly to her, inspected her stature. "...what do you know of it?"

Tau fiddled with her talons nervously. "Well… Fornax instructed me to keep it under wraps for the time until he could confirm it." She glanced to the flickering technicolored hologram displaying the signal still. "Was the signal confirmed?"

He nodded solemnly. "Yes… and it could very well be my son."

A collective gasp rose from the crew, including Tau. Now excited and giddy, she asked another question. "Well sir, how do we know it's him?"

Galaxy, ever the fearless leader, simply turned to face his crew again.

"We don't, at least not yet."

Turning back to the system, he felt a smile tug at his lip.

" _I guess we'll have to find out, won't we?"_

 **-X-**

"Mama…"

Hope felt a snout prod her shoulder, forcing her to roll over. No response however.

"Mama, wake up…"

Having Peacemaker wake her up two nights out of the week, this being the third already, she just rolled over again.

"Peacemaker, go back to sleep… Mama needs her sleep."

She felt another nuzzle to her cheek.

"Mom… I have to talk to you… please."

NOW he had her rapt attention. Peacemaker rarely ever called his mother "mom", and only used "please" when it was something important. Hope sat up and curled around her son.

"Alright little one, what's going on?"

Peacemaker sat still, directly looking at Hope. Hope thought this was odd in its entirety, knowing her son only ever sat still for food, and sleep. (And the first wasn't always a given.) Nonetheless, she listened fully engaged.

The young dragonet took a deep breath, and steeled himself.

"...I know who I was…"

Peacemaker almost physically flinched seeing the color drain from Hope's face. She picked herself up mentally and gathered herself up again.

"What… what do you mean, Peace…?"

He gave her a gentle look, conveying exactly the feeling she carried too.

"Mom… you know exactly what I mean."

Hope's expression turned from concern to one of fear. "...Say his name."

After swallowing hard, Peacemaker looked down and quietly croaked out: "... _darkstalker_ …"

She drew back, half in fear and half in shock. Peacemaker wanted to say something but couldn't find his words.

Hope tried restraining herself from gripping the walls. She knew this was her son regardless of what he knew. "...How? No, nevermind that, what… what do you know?"

Almost hanging his head in shame, Peacemaker sighed again. "Everything… I remember it all mama. You, Arctic, Fathom…" A moment of indelible memories flooded back and shoved old forgotten feelings down his mind. "...Clearsight…"

Hope pushed off the wall behind her and found her poise again. "You have his memories then… do you have his powers?"

Peacemaker held out his talon, producing a rock from thin air, turning it into dust afterwards. "Just the Animus magic… nothing else… I can't read minds or see the future, nor do I want to..." The tinge of guilt in his voice almost broke into a full sob. Hope let her breath go in relief, and drew forwards again.

"But… it's you…? You're not him, you're Peacemaker?"

He nodded vigorously and didn't dare look up. "It's me mama… I'm your son…"

Hope, pushing past the fear and shock, drew forwards to her child with the same maternal resolve as always. She curled around him and nosed his head, the moonlight reflecting off their scales in the dimly lit hut.

"Peacemaker… how long have you known?"

Now, full on crying, Peacemaker leaned forwards and embraced his mother. Hope let him into his arms as the familiar pangs of motherly comfort kicked in.

"I don't wanna be him mama, I wanna be a good dragon! I just wanna be your son and not have to worry about who I was or who I am, I wanna be home! I just…" Intermittent sniffles and sobs brought his voice cracking past the point of talking anymore. Nonetheless he continued. "...I'm still your Peacemaker… I swear I'm not a bad dragon… I love you mama..."

Before he could take another breath to plead to his mother again, Hope wiped away her sons tears as she usually did when he scraped his wings or fell from a tree, despite this time her own dripped onto her son's head.

"Oh little one… I love you too." Nosing his head gingerly she wrapped her starry wings around her child, surrounding him with her warm body. "You will _ALWAYS_ be my Peacemaker…"

Still sniffling and sobbing lightly, Peacemaker buried his snout in Hope's wings. "B… but… what am I gonna do? The whole reason I got transformed was to start over and… now… we're just back to where we started…"

Hope lifted her son's chin to meet hers. "No… no, no we're not. We're the same, you and me… I remember every terrible thing I've done too, and they haunt me still..." Peacemaker felt ease settle back into his mind and heart as his mother's gaze met his.

"But we've both been given a chance to be someone else. Be someone better, to give ourselves a better future. My namesake is something I wanted for it, Hope. I named you Peacemaker because I always sensed you would be just that… So long as you don't abandon that, you'll always have me and I'll always have you."

Hope settled the two of them down into the softened bedding beneath them and cuddled Peacemaker into her arms and wings. "You'll always have Hope, and I'll have what I've been looking for all my life… _Peace_."

A wide eyed and teary smile graced Peacemaker's face as he nuzzled into his mother's arm. Hope laid her head atop his. "You're not alone in this little one, your mama is gonna help you through it all… I promise."

The rainbow scaled dragon yawned serenely and snuggled into his mother, closing his eyes at last. "Thank you mama… I love you…"

Hope let the comforting feeling of her son in her arms guide her to sleep again. " _ **Mama loves you too**_ **…** "


End file.
